Tell doctors not to prescribe Premarin’s new sister drug Duavee

It is critical that we as horse advocates step up immediately and inform doctors about Duavee.

Duavee (formerly called Aprela) is the recently FDA approved and newest member of the Premarin family of drugs for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. It is set to enter the market at the beginning of 2014.

We are already receiving reports that doctors have begun to mention and recommend Duavee to their patients.

Some of these patients have completed menopause, or are not experiencing hot flashes and other symptoms typically associated with it. In those instances, the doctors are marketing the osteoporosis treating properties of the drug.

Duavee, like the rest of the Premarin family of drugs, is produced with the estrogen rich urine of pregnant mares. For those of you new or unclear what this means to the horses and foals (referred to as PMU horses), please see our Fact Sheets and Reports.

4 thoughts on “Tell doctors not to prescribe Premarin’s new sister drug Duavee”

I agree with you and to expand the letter writing idea I suggest that ALL animal rights organizations get this info and urge their members to write letters and spread the word that their are BETTER alternatives for menopausal symptoms!

It amazes me that supposedly well-educated (traditional, western medicine or “allopathic”) physicians still seem to believe that their patients are too stupid or misinformed to understand that their doctors are less interested in appropriate mid-life health management than shilling for big pharma! Especially when there is SO much information easily available regarding herbal, vitamin/mineral, naturopathic and homeopathic pre-menopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal support.

There’s even a terrific book (paperback, I think it’s in its 12th printing!) called “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause” which is chock full of sane advice for transitioning through mid-life – including current sources for recommended support protocols.

It wasn’t so long ago that (mostly male) physicians were strongly recommending hysterectomies and it wasn’t until women self-educated about this issue and learned that these surgeries were pretty much considered “cash cows” by doctors that women started standing up to these medicos who had less at heart for patients’ welfare than their own already bulging wallets!

I have a now-grown-up PMU foal whose mum was one of the vast numbers brought out of Canada’s then-failing PMU industry; most of these babies were draft crosses, and the temperaments, trainability, calm intelligence and – yes – sense of humor that seems to come along with the draftie side make them really wonderful equine companions. I go one better than the letter – every time I talk with mid-life women and any physician who practices family medicine I speak up and speak out.

The women are always interested in approaches to mid-life health management that does not involve potentially fatal side effects, whether those side effects are theirs, mares/foals or both; doctors tend to push back – but once in the ear….gets them hopefully thinking about it!

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"Throughout history, whenever there’s been any kind of social movement, it’s because people have been prepared to fight for what they believe in. There are a lot of people standing up for animals right now and they need to, because they need our help.” — Elio Celotto

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